Super Bowl Gambling Could Reach 100 Million in Las Vegas

Published on January 31, 2008 by Vincent Tapoglia III

The Super Bowl is good for two things in American culture. Entertaining commercials, and gambling. The latter is growing to epic proportions. Predictions have over $100 million being wagered on the game in Las Vegas this year.

The New England Patriots and the New York Giants are no strangers to the big stage of the Super Bowl. Both teams have been there and won several championships.

Early indications are the two teams are also a good draw at Vegas casinos. Many predictions have that $100 million figure as being on the low end.

When William "The Refrigerator" Perry went into the end zone in the Super Bowl back in 1985, a new era of sports gambling was born. Leading up to that game, a couple of sports books put odds out on whether the fridge would score a touchdown or not.

After seeing the money that was wagered on that prop bet, it lead to handicappers realizing anything they could come up with odds on, the public would bet. So the prop bet was born, and since then, gambling dollars spent on the Super Bowl has increased every year.

Add to the mix that many people will be gambling with illegal bookies on the Super Bowl, and that $100 million number seems minuscule in relation to the real number of money that could be bet on Super Sunday.